Convertible furniture.



w. I. KELLY. CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE.

4 A. APPLICATION FILED MAY I5. I9I7. E 1,276,227. PIIIenIedAug.20,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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w. 1. KELLY.

CONVERTIBLE FuaNlunE. APPLICATION FILED MAY l5, 1917.

1,276,227. PaLenLedAug.2o,191s,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1 a ED sTA'rEs WILLIAM J'. KELLY, OF LILNTONQ IOWA.

' CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Ptetd Aug. 20, 191'8 vApplication -led May 15, 1917. Serial No. 168,876.

To all whom t may conce-M.:

Be it known that I, WILLIAMJJ. KELLY,

a citizen of the United States, residing at- Clinton, in the county of Clinton and State of Iowa, have invented new and useful 4Improvements in Convertible Furniture, of which the .following is a specification.

This invention relates'to improvements in convertible furniture, proposing an article of that type which may be used as a bed or a davenport and which embodies hingedly connected sections -having prescribed movements in consequence of which the article may be easily and quickly changed from one form to the other.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a davenport bed of the type stated wherein the hingedly connected sections, of which there are three,'may be folded or extended in a single operation or motion,lmay be externally finished in cushioned upholstery which is not subject to wearor stress in connection with the conversion of the. article from one form to lanother and may be providedwith an internally arranged spring fabric of continuous characterwhose flexibility enables it to bend as the sections are folded or unfolded, thereby to adapt itself to the form of the article as a bed or davenport and to conform to the relation of the sections; wherein devices which do not require manipulation for their operation and which are concealed when the sections are folded are provided to separately support the sections when extended to. provide a bed and to serve other advantageous purposes when the sections are folded -'to provide a davenport; wherein the folding or unfolding of the sections, which, as stated, requires but a single operation,rmay be quickly and easily eected .with the least effort on the part of the operator; andwhich shall be inexpensive and durable in construction with its various parts readily accessible for all necessary purposes.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated inr the. accompanyingdrawings, wherein Figures 1 and 2 are sectional views showing the article as a davenport and a bed, respectively. p'

Fig. 3 is a partial plan view and Fig, 4 a side elevation showing the article as a bed.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the operatlons of extending and folding. the sections ,of thearticle.' y

Slmllar characters'of reference designate rorrespondlng parts throughout the several vlews. v y

The three sections are a' stationary inner sectlon 1, an intermediate section 2 hingedly connected to the stationary section, .and an outer section 3 hingedly connected to the intermediate section. The section's`2 and 3 may be referred to as seat and back sections since they vcarry the' cushioned seat and back upholstery 4 and 5, respectively. The inner sectlon 1 includes a rectangular frame 6 which is supported between members 7 forming the sides of the davenport and according 1n design with the general design of the davenport.

.To constitute'a davenport,- the sections 2 and 3 are positioned between the members 7 the sectlon 2 being folded over the frame 6 and,therefore, occupying a horizontal position in .which it serves as a seat and the section 3 extendingin upright or substantially upright relation from the rear or. outer edge of section 2 and serving as a back. As thus positioned, the section 2 rests upon and is supported by the frame 6 and the section 3 is supported by the section 2 and by a transverse bar 8 extending between the members 7. y

The frame of the section 2 is connected to the frame 6 by suitable leaf hinges 9 which are located at the adjacent corners of said frames and are concealed by a iiexible valance 'strip 10 connected to the frame of the section 2 and to a drop board 11, hinged to the underside of the front bar of the frame 6. The said strip and drop board close the space between the front bars of the frames when the section 2 is folded and also conceal the internally arranged parts; and the drop board protects the valance strip by preventing it from being caught between* 'the adjacent frame bars when the section 2 is extended.

The side bars of the sections 2 and 3 have their adjoining end faces beveled to enable the' folding of said sections in a lsubstantially rightangular relation in orderthat the section 2 may serve as the seat, and the section 3 as the back of the davenport. The said sections 2 and 3 are connected by suitable hinges 12 whose members are secured to the respective beveled end faces of the side bars of said sections; and the angle o f the bevel of said faces is selected to permlt of light Contact between the upholstery of the seat and back at the angle which these parts form with each other. The joints of hinges 12 have sufiicientvlooseness to enable .an adjustment of the section 3 relative to the section 2 for the purpose of compensating for any slight inaccuracy in the ittlng of said sections and of insuring that the section 3, lwhen folded, shall rest squarely against the back bar- 8; and to provide for such adjustment of the section 3,`screws 13 are provided between adjoining beveled end faces of the side bars of said sections, said screws being preferably threaded in the end faces of the side bars of the section 3 and engaging the adjacent end faces of the side bars of the section 2.

The adjacent cross-bars of the sections 2 and 3 are preferably connected by a flexlble device whose length is selected to prevent the relative movement of said sections through an angle greater than 180",--in` other Words, to arrest the relative movement of said sections when they havebeen brought into co-planar relation; and said device preferably comprises a link 14 connected to the section 3 and a chain 14a connected to said link and the section 2, said link serving. to withdraw the chain into the space behind the outer and intermediate sections during the folding thereof.

The section 2 has rigidly and externally secured at each of its sides a bar 15 which projects at such an angle that it constitutes a supporting leg` for said section when extended to provide: a bed. The bars 15 also aid in centering the sections 2 and 3 during their folding and extending movements. For these purposes said bars are located very near to the front of the section 2; and when the sections 2 and 3 are folded, lie in concealed relation closely adjacent the sides of the section 3 and brace said section laterally relatively to the section 2.

The section 3 is provided at each of its sidesand near its front with supporting legs 16 pivotally mounted, as at 17, for movement in planes parallel to the planes of the side bars to which they are secured; and links to connect lthe legs 16 above or inwardly of their pivots with the legs 15, said links serving to move the legs 16 into vertical operative position during the extension of the section 3, as shown in Fig. 4, and to fold said legs alongside of the sides of the section 3 during the folding of said section, as shown in Fig. 1. The legs 16 when thus folded lie in concealed relation between the sides of the section 3 and the members 7.

The sections 1, 2 and 3 conjointly support a continuous flexible spring fabric 19 and a continuous flexible mattress fabric 20. The fabrics 19 andv20 participate in the folding and extending movements of the sections, their bending or flexing action in no wise impairing their eiciency or causing any appreciable wear. .When the sections are extended to provide a bed the mattress fabric 20 lies above and upon the spring fabric 19; and both fabrics occup true planes,4 thus insuring the comfort o the occupant. When the sections are folded, the fabrics 19 and 20 close at the bottom and rear of the davenport the internal spaces under and behind the respective upholstery sections 4 and@ and prevent accumulation of dust.

The spring fabric 19 is secured to the sections 1, 42 and 3 by extension springs 21 which keep said fabric tensioned when the sections are extended. The springs 21 are j located at about therhorizontal centers of the side bars of the respective sections-fin any case well below the upper edges of said provide ample room for the folding and storage of the mattress fabric 20. Each of the sections vis provided with reinforcing blocks 22 for the side bars to which the springs 21 are connected, said blocks preferably projecting somewhat labove the plane of the spring fabric 19 and bracing said sections at their sides against the pull of the springs 21.

The fabric 20 is secured at its e'nds to the rear frame bar of the section 1 and to a bar 23 provided at the front end of the section 3,

being tied or otherwise j fastened to these parts. v

The extension and folding of the sections is clearly shown in Fig. 5. In extending the sections to provide a bed, the then upper bar of the section 3 is grasped and the sections 2 and 3 are pulled forward, first as a unit, through an arc whose radius extends fromA the hinge joints 9. This unitary movement of the sections 2 and 3 is continued until the section 2 has an approximately vertical position and the section 3 an approximately hori- A and A? after which, and in consequence of the continued forward pull upon the section 3, said `sections move pivotally relatively to one another, as shown by the dotted lines B and B each approaching its final position wherein it is co-planar with the other and with the section 1, as shown bythe dotted lines C and C. The operation of folding the sections to provide a davenport may be just the reverse of that de scribed; or,l if preferred, it may be performed by raising the sections 2 and 3 in their co-planar relation and as a unit,I through an arc 'whose' radius is measured from the hinge joints 9 into vertical or substantially vertical positions, and thereafter by permitting said sections to move inward by gravity and fold relatively to one another, the section 3 being so held or manipu- 130 l l u l side bars, as shown 1n Fig. 2--1n order to y.

11o zontal position, as shown by the dotted lines lated that it will gradually approach its final l position wherein it extends substantially upright from the section 2 and is supported by said section and the back bar 8.

In any case, the user is required to perform but a single operation or motion and the working leverages are so selected and distributed that the extension or foldingof the sections 2 and 3 may be practised with ver slight physical effort.

aving fully described my invention, -I clairn- 1. In convertible furniture of the type set forth, an inner stationary section having upright side members, an intermediate -section hinged at the front of the stationary section and adapted to serve as a davenpolt seat, an outer section hinged to the intermediate section and adapted to serve as a davenport back, said intermediate and outer sections being foldable between said side members and having the adjacent end faces of their side bars oppositely beveled, adjusting screws projecting from one of said beveled faces and adapted to engage the companion beveled face when the sections are folded, and a supporting part carried by the stationary section against which theouter section rests when the sections are folded.

2. In convertible furniture of the type set forth, an inner stationary section having side members, an intermediate section hinged at the front of the stationary section and adapted to serve as a davenport seat, an outer section hinged to the intermediate section and adapted to serve as a davenport back, said intermediate and outer sections having the adjacent end faces of their side bars beveled to permit the folding of said sections into right angular relation, a chain extending between the adjacent cross-bars of said sections to prevent their unfolding movement beyond the co-planar relation, and means for withdrawing said chain into the space behind said outer and intermediate sections during the folding thereof. y

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM J. KELLY. 

